WWE: Will Will The Former WWE Champion, ‘Beast Incarnate’ Brock Lesnar Return?

Brock Lesnar hasn’t appeared on WWE TV since the night after WrestleMania 31, but the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion is expected to return this summer. The latest rumors have Lesnar coming back sometime in July, and having his first match at SummerSlam 2015.

Lesnar was suspended indefinitely, for storyline purposes, on March 30 when he became irate that Seth Rollins would not give him a match on “Monday Night Raw” for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Stephanie McMahon issued the suspension after Lesnar delivered an F5 to both WWE announcer Michael Cole and a cameraman.

SummerSlam is set for Aug. 23 in Brooklyn, and Lesnar is likely to return a few weeks before the event. The previous pay-per-view, Battleground, will take place on July 19. There’s a chance Lesnar will make a surprise appearance at the PPV, but it’s more likely that he shows up on “Raw” the next night.

Last year, Lesnar was off WWE TV from the night after WrestleMania 30 until the night after Battleground, which was also the PPV before SummerSlam in 2014. When Lesnar took his summer break in 2013, his return came the night after Money in the Bank, which preceded SummerSlam in 2013.

There are a few routes WWE can go when Lesnar finally comes back. He’s still due a match with Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, though he might not face him one-on-one. There have been rumors that Rollins could defend the title against Roman Reigns and Lesnar in a triple threat match at SummerSlam.

While the main event of WrestleMania 31 was Lesnar vs. Reigns, Rollins made it a triple threat match by cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase. He pinned Reigns for the victory, and Lesnar lost his title. Lesnar hasn’t been pinned since WrestleMania 29 when he was defeated by Triple H.

Lesnar held the title from SummerSlam 2014, where he defeated John Cena in a one-sided match, until WrestleMania 31. Lesnar has been booked as a heel since he returned to WWE in 2012 after an eight-year hiatus, but he’ll almost certainly be a babyface when he comes back this summer. When Lesnar last appeared on “Raw,” he was arguably the most popular wrestler on the roster.

Just prior to WrestleMania 31, Lesnar signed a new contract with WWE, reportedly for three years. He’s had 11 matches in WWE over the last three years, all coming on PPV.